The Merchant of Venice

A scene from last night’s performance of “The Merchant of Venice” that would make a great cinematic scene would be when Antonio is before the judge and Shylock is about to cut out a piece of his flesh. This is a pivotal part of the play, especially when the judge suddenly stops him. To make the entire scene more intense, a big crowd watching the court would be necessary. They would be loud, yelling at the judge for Antonio’s favor, yelling and throwing fists at Shylock, and being rowdy. Music with a dark, fast tone would be playing in the background to evoke uncertainty and fear for Antonio’s life. Manipulating the camera shots of Antonio, the judge, and Shylock would also create a more dramatic moment. The camera would zoom in on Antonio’s face, then focus on Shylock as he is about to cut Antonio, and as the judge tells Shylock to stop, the camera would be zoomed in on the knife and Shylock’s hand.

Another potential cinematic scene would be when Bassarnio and Gratiano figure out that their wives were the judge and the clerk at Antonio’s case. This is quite a humorous scene and I think it would be fun to see it in a movie with the camera shot focusing on the husbands in the foreground and the wives in the background. As the rings are exchanged, the lighting and camera could focus on the husband’s face to see their reaction. That way, all of their reactions are witnessed. To match the wives bantering of the husbands, a light classical song could be playing in the background.